A good martial artist isn’t afraid of the dark. In Japanese, to be afraid of the dark is anshokyoufusho (暗所恐怖症). Through training, a martial artist learns to not be afraid of the dark because they come to understand that it is always darkest before the dawn. In Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art, he writes, “The danger is greatest when the finish line is in sight. At this point, Resistance knows we're about to beat it. It hits the panic button. It marshals one last assault and slams us with everything it's got.” Pressfield’s assertion is so incredibly true. When I was a student, it was a tradition that you had to go to all the classes the week before your black belt exam and that all the students would give you a “vigorous” workout (aka beat you up). The week before my shodan exam I learned this lesson firsthand. In four separate classes, I got two sprained big toes and two sprained thumbs. I couldn’t believe it. In every class, people kept stepping on my feet or punching me in the thumbs! When a martial artist realizes that it is always darkest before the dawn, they aren’t discouraged when confronted with the last-ditch effort of their opponents to dissuade them from their goals. A martial artist isn’t deterred because every day in class they are faced with something that they fear or, at the very least, something that is uncomfortable. This could be something as little as attempting a new roll or something more fear inspiring like working with someone twice our size. Regardless, with every difficulty faced, we gain more confidence in ourselves and are better able to withstand our opponent’s sorties. This confidence enables us to walk into a dark room and not be afraid. We are not afraid because we’ve already duked it out on the mat with someone twice our size and usually come out none the worse for wear. With the confidence we gained on the mat, we take it into our daily lives and realize that the difficulties we face are just life testing our resolve. Everyone gets afraid - no one is immune. The difference is that when confronted with some kind of darkness, a good martial artist quietly says to themselves, “osorurunakare” (恐るる勿れ) or “be not afraid” and charges bravely forward. In Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s book Hagakure, he writes, “Even if it seems certain that you will lose, retaliate. Neither wisdom nor technique has a place in this. A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dreams.” With time and training, we come to understand that if we can weather the storm and make it through the darkness, our greater lives are waiting for us on the other side. That is why a good martial artist is not afraid of the dark.
Today’s goal: Remember, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “In the midst of darkness, light persists.”
Watch this video of Steven Pressfield to better understand Resistance